Food allergies can strike at any moment, even if you’ve eaten the same dish a hundred times before.
For one Malaysian man named Afiq who was holidaying in Korea, a simple seafood dinner ended with a swollen face and an unexpected RM1,500 hospital bill.
“The food vs the side effect”
In a Threads post, Afiq shared that he simply wanted to enjoy some seafood during dinner. But a couple of hours later, things took a frightening turn when his eye suddenly swelled up.
What started as a good meal became a painful (and expensive) experience.
Trying to ease the mood, he invited people to share their own “holiday tragedies” so he wouldn’t feel as bad about his own.
When contacted, Afiq told WeirdKaya that he had eaten a lot of seafood that night, including abalone, oysters and squid. The reaction didn’t happen immediately as it only kicked in roughly two hours after dinner.
Once it started, the swelling spread quickly. His entire face puffed up and this prompted him to seek emergency treatment at a hospital.
He said his wife, who is half Korean, helped communicate with the medical staff as he didn’t fully understand the explanation given by the doctor.
Despite the scare, he isn’t swearing off seafood forever. His only takeaway:
I’ll just have to be more careful next time.”
He also advised travellers to be mindful of what they eat overseas and to choose dishes that suit their bodies. Luckily, his trip wasn’t heavily impacted as his wife and Korean in-laws helped him through the ordeal.
Netizens share their own allergy stories
The comments were filled with Malaysians sharing their own allergy experiences, mixing sympathy with humour.
One joked, “Bro… you’re allergic. I eat seafood just fine…until I got gout.”
Another recalled a terrifying moment involving giant prawns that triggered anaphylactic shock while on holiday.
Some couldn’t resist teasing Afiq about the swelling, with one writing: “Your eye looks exactly like that abalone.”
View on Threads
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